Why social media engagement is important.
The engagement of your customer base is an extremely important part of your social media efforts. It is important for the success and growth of a business or brand on their social media platforms. Last week the iPhone 5 was the buzz on social media. From Google+ to Twitter, it was a trending topic everywhere. Apple has a really huge fan base and that’s why it is not hard for the brand to create buzz instantly whenever a new product is introduced. But what about small businesses; how do they create buzz for their products? They need to build their fan base which is not hard to do once you start engaging with your customers by using the tools that you already have.
Social media engagement doesn’t mean that you should only focus on telling your customers about your products. When we talk about social media engagement we mean that you need to find your target group and engage them in topics which you know will interest them and get them talking. According to a recent survey conducted by Awareness the top social marketing objective for businesses was to drive “better customer engagement (78%).” It even topped drive “revenue generation (58%).” You can see for yourself how significant social media engagement is if it topped revenue generation. That is not to say that businesses don’t see increasing revenues as their top priority because if you look at the bigger picture here, social media engagement will eventually lead to increased revenue generation.
How exactly can you increase your social media engagement?
- Ask as many questions as you can, associated with your posts on all of your social media platforms. For example if you are DIY store and are giving suggestions to your fans on how to redecorate their bedroom, you could always ask a question first and then give them the related article.
- Ask for your fans opinions. Post a debatable topic and ask them what they think about it. For example if you are a travel website, you could make a statement by saying something like “Is a beach holiday more fun than a mountain one? What do you think?” This could get your fans to give their opinions on the topic, thus creating communication between you and them.
- Launch creative ways to get your fans engaged. Hold fun promotions such as contests, offers, vouchers, etc. These things will get your fans excited.
- Make posts that are highly sharable. These posts are known as “Facebook candy” and usually include a photo with inspirational quotes. If you find something that you know will excite your audience, don’t be afraid to share it!
- Become a beloved personality! Be consistent with your posts and always post at least 2-3 times a day. This strategy works because the lifespan of a post on Facebook is only 90 minutes, and on Twitter they only have a 60 minute lifecycle. If you post multiple times per day, no matter when your fans login to their social media platforms, they’re likely to see a post from you, You don’t have to be on your social media platforms all the time to do this. You have options like Sprout Social and HootSuite where you can schedule your posts in advance and they will be automatically posted to your social media platforms. Giving plenty of great content to your fans on a regular basis will definitely get them engaged.
So there you go. Now go ahead and get your customers engaged in your brand and business! Let us know if you have other ideas as to how you can increase your social media engagement! We’d love to hear your ideas!
Photo Credit: deanmeyersnet
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